Knicks’ fourth straight
The Knicks extended their winning streak to four with Jalen Brunson leading the way — 25 points and 10 assists — and Josh Hart sinking clutch threes late to close the game out. (Social reports highlighted Brunson’s 25/10 and Hart’s late 3s in the win.) (x.com)
Boston came into Madison Square Garden at 54-26, and New York walked out with a 112-106 win that kept the Knicks alive in the race for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson finished with 25 points and 10 assists, while Josh Hart scored 26 and poured in 15 of them in the fourth quarter. (espn.com) The late swing was Hart’s. ESPN’s play-by-play flagged two Hart threes in the closing stretch, and the game recap said New York was up 109-104 with 42.9 seconds left after one of them. (espn.com) (gmanetwork.com) Brunson ran the game like a point guard with a remote control. His 10 assists came with just 1 turnover in 37 minutes, and that let New York keep getting clean looks even when Boston pushed ahead in the third quarter. (espn.com) This was not a random April result against a team resting stars. Jayson Tatum returned to Madison Square Garden, scored 24 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, handed out 8 assists, and still saw Boston lose because he also finished with 6 turnovers and shot 7-for-22 from the field. (espn.com) The standings made every possession heavier. After the win, Boston sat at 54-25 and New York at 51-28 in the Eastern Conference table, which meant the Knicks were still chasing the Celtics instead of settling for the third line on the bracket. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) The streak is the other part of the story. ESPN’s team page listed New York on a four-game run, and the three wins before Boston were a 108-105 road win at Atlanta, a 136-96 blowout of Chicago, and a 130-119 road win at Memphis. (espn.com) That run has not been built on one kind of game. The Knicks won a grinder by 3 in Atlanta, won by 40 against Chicago, and then beat Boston by 6 with Hart taking over late, which is a useful sign for a team trying to hold up in a seven-game series. (espn.com 1) (espn.com 2) New York also made this one feel bigger by doing it at home, where ESPN listed the Knicks at 29-9 after the game. A team that can get Brunson’s half-court control, Hart’s late-shot nerve, and that kind of home record at the same time is exactly the team nobody wants to see in the first week of the playoffs. (espn.com)
